Former Pitt running back Lewis arrested in Albany, N.Y.
July 9, 2012
Former star Pitt running back, Dion Lewis, 21, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly… Former star Pitt running back, Dion Lewis, 21, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly breaking glass doors off their hinges at a downtown Albany, N.Y., hotel, according to Albany police.
Albany Police Public Information Officer Steve Smith said police received a call at 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, July 8, of two men pounding on the doors of a Hampton Inn & Suites. When officers arrived, one of the men had already pulled a fire alarm at the building.
Smith said Lewis and his brother Lamar Lewis, 35, were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment of property and a felony charge of falsely reporting an incident in the second degree.
Both men were arraigned later that day in the Albany City Criminal Court. Lewis was released on his own reconnaissance, having no prior arrests in the state of New York. His brother was sent to the Albany County Jail without bail, having a record of several past arrests and having served jail time in the state, Smith said.
Lewis was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 2011 by the Philadelphia Eagles after breaking a number of freshman rushing records at Pitt. This past season, he served as the Eagles’ primary backup running back for fellow Pitt alumnus LeSean McCoy.
Lewis issued a statement on his current team’s website on Tuesday.
“I want to apologize to my family, the Albany community, the Eagles organization and fans, and to the NFL for my involvement in an incident this past weekend,” he said in the statement. “It was never my intention to cause any public alarm or damage any property. I am sorry for any embarrassment and inconvenience that my actions have caused.”